| Author | Message | ||
     Tootal |
I'd move but there is one saving grace in Illinois, they don't tax pensions. There is rumor that they might start but as of now I'm good. Since my house has been in mine subsidence my taxes got cut in half. They start fixing the house on Tuesday. I hope the tax man takes a while to figure out it's fixed! Once it's fixed I'll redo the guest room so Crusty has a place to stay! | ||
| Ourdee |
Hard to get him indoors. He likes that tent. | ||
| Crusty |
An Early Christmas My daughter and son-in-law visited for roughly 36 hours starting Wednesday evening. Rocky had a work related thing he had to attend in Tennessee and he and Megan decided to expand it into a mini vacation. They drove down from Maine, did the work gig, then went and did touristy things like visit Graceland and Beale Street. They came by here on their way back to Maine, and we had an eventful visit. It started with Christmas Dinner on Wednesday evening. David and Jack came by and we had 2” thick pork chops, stuffing, David’s version of my mom’s green beans, tomato and bacon side dish, biscuits, etc. for the meal with Schnecken (sp?); a pastry that I can’t properly describe, but it was very tasty for desert. We ate well and had good conversation with a variety of Christmas music in the background (the Time-Life Treasury, The Glen Miller Band, Pentatonix, Mannheim Steamroller, and more). Thursday morning, David came by and picked up myself and the kids and we gave them the Grand Tour. We first went to Jungle Jim’s; which has to be one of the most unique supermarkets I’ve ever been in. it took us over three hours to go through the place, and the kids were quite impressed. There’s no way to describe the place and do it justice, but you’ll never find another place like it. Megan and Rocky had a lot of fun, I think; even though Megan found the giant talking Campbell’s soup can on a swing a bit disconcerting. They have one of the largest assortments of Hot Sauces around, and we spent a good bit of time checking out the various types and brands. I bought a boatle of Curley’s (from the 3 Stooges) sauce for one friend, and a bottle of Donald Trump’s “Make America Hot Again” sauce. I have no idea if the sauce is worth a damn, but I loved the label. Now, I can think of a bunch of people I should send a bottle to. I think it’s a perfect gift. Conservatives will love it and so will Liberals. They’ll love it for very different reasons, but everybody would enjoy getting it. After we left Jungle Jim’s, we took the kids to Skyline Chili, so they could try Cincinnati Style Chili. For the record, Cincinnati style chili is nothing at all like Texas Style Chili. To compare the two would be like comparing Italian Spaghetti Sauce to Mexican Salsa. Anyhow, the kids loved it. After lunch, we went by the Mushroom House. There’s no way to describe it. It was designed by an Architect who was probably under the influence of psychedelic drugs; or maybe he needed some sort of psychotropic medication. Anyhow, when we were sitting there and looking at it, we wouldn’t have been surprised if a hobbit or an elf walked out the front door. David then took us through Eaton Park which is up on a hill overlooking the Ohio River and Down Town Cincinnati. We did more touristy things like driving over the Roebling Bridge which crosses over the River into Kentucky, we went by the Spaceship house which looks like a Flying Saucer from a B grade 1950s movie, and up to another park overlooking the River and Cincinnati from the other side. Megan and Rocky wanted to see David’s shop (Rockin’ Rooster Comics and Games), so we went there, even though it was David’s day off; then David brought us back to my house and went home. The kids and I went to Woot’s BBQ and completely stuffed ourselves, then we came back to the house and watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2. We were all up early yesterday, and the kids left for home at 6:00 AM. They sent me a text last night saying they were home so I wouldn’t worry. That leaves me sitting here feeling pretty warm and happy. My Christmas came a couple of weeks early, but it sure was a good one! And, as one little motorcycle related side; Rocky rides a scooter around Portland, and he wants to move up to a motorcycle. He’s going to take the course this spring (Megan also wants to take the course again). When he saw the ’78 in the garage, he fell in love. I guess a Sportster will be in his future. Cool. | ||
| Crusty |
Megan, Rocky and David at the Campbell's Soup Can:  Megan and Rocky with the animatronic Elvis bear in a Santa suit (It was playing Blue Christmas)  | ||
| Tootal |
Nothing like having family over to make a house feel like home! | ||
| Blake |
Nice! | ||
| Ourdee |
Pretty cool. | ||
| Crusty |
Torn Between Two Desires This time of year, I have too much time to think. And I have a bit to think about, right now. I’m hoping to ride to the Arctic Ocean next June. I want to ride the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, then the new highway to Tuktoyaktuk. After that, jog over to Alaska, then head for home. It’ll be another ride of a lifetime. I’m also a Flat Track fan. Now that I’m living in Ohio, there are a lot of races that are within a day’s ride. I’d like to see a bunch of them. I’d love to see the Daytona TT, the Atlanta Short Track, the Red Mile, both Springfield miles, the Peoria TT, the Lima 1/2 Mile and maybe ride up to Weedsport, NY for the Short Track. Hell, I’m only an hour and a half away from the Red Mile. I wouldn’t even have to camp out; I could be home that same night and sleep in my own bed. Hitting a bunch of races would be a fun way to spend the summer. The trouble is, I can’t do both. I can’t be in two places at once; If I’m in the Northwest Territory, I for sure won’t be at the Red Mile or Lima. And if I do go North, when I get back, I’ll be too broke to hit any races for a while. Money also has a major effect on my plans. Going to Tuk and Alaska will be expensive. I’ll only be on the road for about a month, but it’ll put a serious bite on my credit card and it’ll deplete my savings. And I’m having a hell of a time trying to pay down what I owe. I was hoping to have the card paid down to a zero balance, or at least a low one by the time summer rolls around. Now, however, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Every time my balance drops a bit, I have to use the card to buy something. I had to send my Darien Jacket back to Aerostich for repairs last week and today, I had to buy a snow shovel, ice melt pellets and a trash can (some a**hole stole my trash can last week). I’m not in over my head, but I’m not bringing the balance down, either. It might be wiser to wait one more year and get the card paid off before heading North. Then again; I’ve never been known for doing the wisest things. So, for now I’m just going to keep as low a profile as I can. I’m going to keep throwing as much as I can afford at the Plastic and see how things look this Spring. I’d love to see the new faster TT track at Daytona, and I’d also love to see the Atlanta Short Track, but I really want to see the Arctic Ocean in front of me (and maybe pull my boots and socks off and stand in the water at the shore). I’ll make no decisions until I have a better idea about which way makes the most sense to me. In the meantime, it’s less than two weeks until Christmas. Wow; time sure flies. | ||
| 1313 |
some a**hole stole my trash can last week Those friggin' bastards! Just thinking out loud here... Some tactics I've seen over the years to thwart theft of an item have included painting the item an eye-catching color and putting some distinctive identifying markings on the item. This kind of screams a pink paint job with cherub decals to me. As I said, just thinking out loud... | ||
| Crusty |
The new can has orange fluorescent paint markings all over it. It was a toss up between orange or pink; either would do, I think. And absolutely NO cherubs. (Message edited by Crusty on December 12, 2017) | ||
| Tootal |
If your dryer ever fails let me know, I have another one I need to get rid of, and it's PINK!  | ||
| Crusty |
Christmas and New Year’s Plans Christmas is a week away. I couldn’t afford to send out gifts to all my Family and friends this year, and the few I did send out were very low in cost. I’m pretty much flat broke. If I could, I’d send gifts to everyone, but there’s no way I can. One area that I didn’t skimp on was in sending out Christmas Cards. This year, I sent out around 65 cards. I was able to do that because I bought the cards last summer. If I’d waited, I wouldn’t have had the money to buy them. I tried to send cards to all my friends, so if I’ve sent you a card in the past, and you didn’t get one this year, then please let me know. I can be a Space Cadet sometimes; a fact that I had my nose rubbed in the other day. I had sent cards to my family in Australia, and Roni Ann was wondering if I was mad at her. I sent her a card without writing a message, or even signing my name. I guess that I just spaced out when it came to sending her card. I wrote the address on the envelope first, then forgot to write a message in the card. I’m thinking that I may have forgotten to send everyone a card that I wanted to. I keep wondering if I might have skipped over an address card or two in my Rolodex. If I didn’t send you a card, and I normally do, please don’t be offended; just let me know. I care deeply about all my friends and appreciate them. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings because I Zoned out. Christmas this year is going to be a quiet and peaceful day for me. At least, that’s how I’m setting it up to be. I’m going to have a good meal and have a happy day of joyful solitude. I do plan on calling a few folks, but mostly I’m going to spend the day in contented contemplation. (and maybe watching a DVD or two) I’ll be doing my usual New Year’s Day ride on (when else?) New Year’s Day. I hope the weather is cooperative. In years past, I’ve gone out in all kinds of weather. The shortest ride was back in 1984. It was 15º F (-9.5C) with really strong winds. I don’t think we went five miles before we were back home. The coldest ride was back in 2009; It was 8º F (-13.3 C) and I rode for over 50 miles. In spite of the heated hand grips, electric jacket liner and heated gloves, I was thoroughly chilled by the time I got back to the house and had to take a hot shower just to avoid hypothermia. My warmest ride was high 50s back in 1982. The temps here have been fluctuating quite a bit, but the coldest day so far has only been in the 20s. While I’d like to see high 50s or better, even low 20s are acceptable. The only weather that will stop me is if the roads are snow covered or icy. I have ridden in snow, but “I’m getting too old for that sh*t”. Yesterday, I watched the Superprestigio Flat Track race from Barcelona, Spain on FansChoice.TV. It’s an indoor short track, and it made me think again about riding down to Daytona in March to see the TT. The Speedway offers free tent camping in the infield if you have a ticket for the race and the tickets aren’t that expensive. I’m thinking that a ride to Florida might not be a bad thing to do in early March. The Tramp in me is leaning heavily towards going, and economically, it’s looking quite possible. I’ll just have to mull it over for a while. | ||
| Crusty |
Doin’ The Math It’s a grey, wet December morning and I’m sitting and thinking and researching two very different scenarios for the coming summer. To be completely honest, I don’t think I’ll have the money to ride to the Arctic Ocean. I’ll probably have to buy tires along the way; I don’t think my tires will last. There will be over 1,000 miles of dirt roads and that’s one hell of a long distance on dirt; tires don’t last nearly as long on dirt. Gas prices will be a lot higher as I get to more remote areas as well. Still, it’s doable, but there’s no way in hell that I’ll have my credit card paid off by then. Even so, I’m trying to do the math. Google says it’s 4,000 miles to Tuktoyaktuk, if I take the shortest route. However, if I’m that far north, I want to jog over to Alaska, so that will add a bit of mileage. I figure the whole trip will be at least 10,000 miles and probably more. That’s 250 gallons of gas at a minimum. Gas is relatively cheap here. In Yellowknife, the Capital of the NorthwestTerritory, gas is going for $138.9/liter. and that’s for regular. The Roadster takes Premium. I’m figuring six bucks a gallon once I get above the US/Canada border. So I figure I’ll go through about $1200.00 to 1500.00 just for gas. Then, there’s the other expenses. Camping fees, food and maintenance items for the bike. I think it’ll probably run around 3 to 5 Grand. It would make a lot of sense to wait one more year before making that ride. So, with that in mind, I’ve started researching other options for this summer. Sticking with my plan to get the plastic paid off, I could afford to hit several Flat Track races and not shoot myself in the foot. A couple that I’m considering are only a couple of hours away, so I wouldn’t even have to camp out. The rest are less than a day away with the exception of Daytona. They’re spread out through the summer so I wouldn’t be taking a heavy hit financially; I could afford to get by on my projected budget. Daytona is the first race of the season, and it’s the farthest from home.That’s on March 15. I plan on taking two days each way, but camping at the track is free, so the expense wouldn’t be prohibitive. The next race is just outside Atlanta, Georgia in Woodstock on April 7. Then there’s the Memorial Day Weekend Springfield Mile, followed by the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky on June 2. The Half Mile at Lima, Ohio is on June 30. Both the Red Mile and Lima are only a couple of hours or so from home, so they’d be really affordable. Then, there’s a long break until the Peoria TT on August 18 followed by the Labor Day Weekend Springfield Mile. There are also a few races that I’d really have to think about. On July 7, there a Short track in Weedsport, NY; and there’s the Williams Grove 1/2 Mile on September 8 and there are the two final races of the year The Minnesota Mile in Minneapolis on September 29 and the Meadowlands Mile in New Jersey on October 6. If I can get to all those races and still stay within my budget, I’ll have the plastic paid down and I’ll be able to have a little bit of cash saved up to do the ride to Tuk in May of 19. There are other factors that have to be considered besides money. However, this Snippet’s long enough. The Daytona TT is 87 days away. That gives me a while to consider the many variable aspects of these plans and figure out which way makes the most sense. | ||
| Ourdee |
Suggestion: Put calendars on a wall and map it out in time so you can see it all at once. A Big map would let you use tacks and yarn to map it out too. | ||
| Tootal |
Getting that plastic paid off would be my goal but I understand that's not easy. Especially with home ownership! It's really tough to be that disciplined for that long! I don't know all of your situation but is there a way you could work a part time job? Any little job that would help pay off the plastic? | ||
| Crusty |
Chez Crusty with Christmas Lights:  | ||
| Tootal |
 | ||
| Pwnzor |
Looking good. | ||
| Ourdee |
Nice, very nice! | ||
| Crusty |
6º F It’s cold. Riding isn’t much fun at these temperatures. I’m bundled up like a little kid going out to play in the snow. I can hardly turn my head from left to right, so it’s a lot of work to see what’s coming at intersections. Also, the bike has to sit and warm up for a while before I can set out and the choke is on almost constantly. My gas mileage is down to something like 25 MPG. I haven’t been wearing my Electric jacket liner. I don’t want to over tax the charging system. Short runs with frequent stops aren’t the best thing for battery life. I’m warm enough with the layers I’m wearing, plus I’m only out for short trips. I also have to ride like a little old lady. there’s sand, salt and assorted leakage from poorly maintained cars on the pavement. I was at the drive through ATM the other day, and there was a good sized puddle of antifreeze right in the middle of the lane. This is on top of the engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid and brake fluid deposits that are more prevalent during the winter months. Add in the fact that my tires have about the same coefficient of friction as a bowling ball at these temperatures and I really start to question my sanity for preferring a motorcycle over a car. To be clear; I don’t hate cars. It’s just that I have to have a motorcycle to maintain my level of sanity. If it comes down to a choice between owning one or the other, a motorcycle always wins. Maybe next year, I’ll have a car for the winter. If not, then maybe the following winter. There have been many winters that I’ve had a car (or preferably, a pickup). So, I’m not doing a lot of riding. I ride to meetings, the supermarket, doctors appointments and run other errands, but there is always a fixed destination when I set out. Going for a ride for sheer pleasure is a foreign concept, for the most part. Although I will go out for my traditional New Year’s Day ride. And when I’m home and warm, I dream about and plan next years travels. The Daytona TT is in 78 days. I think I’ll focus on that for now. | ||
| Ourdee |
I have camped in Indiana between Christmas and New Years at Rattlesnake Campgrounds as a silly tradition for a long time. Primitive camp ground with a 1 hole outhouse. I drive through three creeks to get there. I may not make it this year. I have a cold going on besides the weather this year. Bad enough I passed up on going shooting with the relatives yesterday. I keep wanting to go for a ride on Lil Red. Even the garage feels cold today. Stay warm John. I have an electric Jacket liner, gloves, and socks. I haven't tested the current draw of all three on a Buell. | ||
| Buellish |
I had trouble with the battery on the S3 last winter doing short trips around Dahlonega with the heated grips and jacket liner on.When I lived in Woodstock it was an 70 to 80 mile run up to the mountains,charged the battery fine.Now that I live here,not so much. | ||
| Shoggin |
I hear what your saying guys, sometimes it's just too cold to be comfortable. Zipping up my leather jacket the whole way is constricting and the forecast says low 70's(!?!) for the next few days. BRRRRR! It feels like Alaska!  Don't hate! lol. On a serious note, I truly respect all you guys for getting out there in truly ridiculously low temps. I understand the NEED to be on a bike for mental health, you are a lifer for sure Crusty  If you get out to the west coast, the beers on me  | ||
| Airbozo |
The last few weeks it has been 28-29 when I leave the house. I actually had to put the liner in my jacket to keep warm. I thank Erik for the built in seat heater on my XB. | ||
| Zane |
I guess you guys don't want to hear me whine about riding to work when it's 43 outside... I'll whine to people here in the office, they'll give me sympathy. | ||
| Ourdee |
The best way to whine is to shut up. If pedestrian says it is too cold to ride, tell them it's like icing an injury, it's the only time you don't hurt. Leaving work one day, guy told me I had to ride in the rain. I said, "No, I get to ride in the rain". Jacket in the summer? "I'd rather sweat than bleed. I've seen how you drive". Bad weather? "No such thing as bad weather, just bad gear". | ||
| Crusty |
43 can seem downright cold when you're not used to it. However; if you're looking for sympathy, I suggest you look in the dictionary. you'll find it between shit and syphilis.  (Message edited by Crusty on December 28, 2017) | ||
| Airbozo |
"you'll find it between shit and syphilis." Hey! That's MY line! | ||
| Ourdee |
Crud, now I'm laughing too hard. | ||
| Ourdee |
Weather says my low on New Years is -1. Supposed to get up to 10 that afternoon. I probably won't ride if my drive has snow and ice. I've been using the 4WD to park the Jeep. I'll get out the broom and see if I can clean a strip out in the middle by then. |
